Microsoft to reveal EA partnership at Next Xbox event

As the industry prepares for a highly anticipated Microsoft press conference in which it will showcase a new console for the first time in eight years, publisher Electronic Arts is preparing to step on stage to announce a key exclusivity agreement.

What are you on about? Who said anything different? You guys were falling over each other when Destiny was at the ps4 event even though its a multiplatform game but when Microsoft does it they are the bad guys. How about we wait and see what else they announce before we go trolling up and down this cess pool and circle jerking one another?

Hmm. EA absent at the Sony event. EA announces microtransactions will be part of every game from now on. Could this be further proof that MS will block used games? <- You just know that an article like that is coming.

Yeah I read that, but you can't expect some exclusive deal because EA wasn't at the Sony event. From last I recall, it doesn't work like that. Though they were the only major publisher not at the Sony event, means nothing. And the biggest fault regarding this article, speculation, rumor, opinion piece is that EAs event yesterday was all praise the PS4. I expect them not to hold a separate event when the Next Xbox is revealed, I actually expect EA to be at the Next Xbox reveal event, but it doesn't mean anything.

Whatever EA does on the next Xbox they will do the same on the PS4. Perhaps EA does not want to release disc based games anymore? I know Sega is going to go that route.

I have to agree with some of the other comments, this exclusive content often times doesn't help gamers. It is just a tool to block gamers to help hardware sales. It's not like Microsoft started all of this, we seen it on the PS2 and Rockstar making GTA exclusive on the console. Microsoft needs to focus on creating its own identity by getting serious with their own ip's and not investing into timed exclusives. If it is something totally designed for the new Xbox hardware that makes use of Kinect or something then yeah, I can see EA wanting to do something exclusive. However the PS4 is going to have an advanced camera so I'm not sure yet what the next Xbox does differently.

For all the Sony heads in here saying M$ are wasting their money on timed DLC and that they can't invest in new IPs, how do you know they haven't invested in IPs? Have you traveled forward in time to all their announcements for the Next Xbox or something?

People say timed exclusives and DLC are useless but if you look at a game like CoD where Xbox sells 2 or 3 million more copies with a smaller install base and it made a difference. That's an extra ten-30 million dollars for Microsoft. So if you pay 5 million to net 30 million that is money well spent.

Look at Gears. Pay ten million in advertising campaign and get 5 million in sales at $10 per copy royalty for a profit of 40 million. Those deals are very profitable.

"using more of their cash flow to buy timed exclusive, instead of reinforcing their own portfolio of studios... "

You obviously haven't been keeping tabs on Microsoft - They have purchased a few studios but have put most of their resources into building new ones from the ground up, stealing the best talent from the worlds greatest studios.

22 studios. 7 of which are casual based. Of the 15 remaining, Lionhead, Black Tusk, 343i, Turn 10, Twisted Pixel and Rare are confirmed to have multiple teams working on seperate titles. Is that enough reinforcing for you?

The devs said they would take turns showing love to each company. Probably why Sony payed bungie for the PS4 reveal/deal to supposedly even up the score.

You never know though it could be anything to an exclusive game to online social structure cooperation. EA has some good online ideas.

Lot of people voting the article down all upset LOL. Reminds me when Sony fans voted down superdae finding of the 720 article as fake then after Sony revealed the PS4 what superdae found was written in stone and became gospel, literally.

@ArmGunar- Agreed 100%. Sony didn't buy into a lot of those timed exclusives and used there money to buy teams.

I'm sorry but I don't see what that DLC did for a 360 gamer when its also on PS3 and PC.

It actually hurts them if anything else, 50 mill is a lot for conent that is just going to be released else where. So...your paying for someone else to not have it? How doet that help 360 owners?

Bioshock, Lost Planet etc are all on other system, what did that do for any 360 owner here in 2013?

I mean, they would had got Bioshock, Lost Planet etc either way, but now its money that won't be spent making a new team to make core games.

MS has like 10 kinect studios! (hate to sound like a broken record, but I still can't get over that)

Now, EA won't make any exclusives for anyone...period. I mean, its funny cause EA would pretty much be hurting themselves, Activision, Ubisoft and Take Two would just be so happy to have EA make a dumb move like that. No game will be exclusive. DLC maybe, but hell, I don't even care for Destiny's exclusive DLC for PS4 and I'm pre-ordering both! LOL!

Of course it is. Sony has a similar agreement with Activision, or at least a growing partnership. It's like everything is upside down. Activision is giving ps4 Destiny and exclusive content, while blizzard is partnering with Diablo 3. The witness is a timed exclusive for the ps4. Assuming Sony had kept previous partnerships, it looked like they were gaining an advantage. Then, we hear that EA, which has had strong ties with Sony is partnering with Microsoft. Very strange. I am sure it involves Respawn. This could be huge for Microsoft. It still doesn't address their 1st party concerns but it hints to the idea that they will continue to buy exclusivity to appease hardcore fans.

The bigger question is this. Does Microsoft think Battlefield or Respawns new game is going to be the new Call of Duty? And even more important, important is this an arrangement between companies with the same vision...free to play and microtransactions. Will we see mmos, games going f2p? Will Microsoft sell their console dirt cheap and charge a subscription fee. It does make sense for what both company's visions.

I know people are blowing this right out of proportion.EA is still with Sony especially BF4 which they made clear was going to be shown at E3 for the PS4.Im sure they will have lots of cool stuff wiht the new xbox.We will just have to wait and see but I guarntee its not going to be Respawns new game especially after the bad fallout they had with Microsoft.I was thinking more along the lines of Fuse due to te fact Insominac was part of the Sony era and would like show they can do more with MS then Sony.You never know.

Activision is a straight shot company with no BS. You get what you pay, take it or leave it. With EA, you got the online pass BS and their Origin crap that has nasty end user terms that are known to be used against gamers.

If EA doesn't like what you say on a forum, they will ban your access to all your Origin games!

I wouldn't say they're as bad, they both release the same amount of games, the difference for Activision comes from never forcing an online pass, even fucking Dead Space 3 had it, which meant I couldn't rent it. Server wise, EA are running on ancient also, and pass the blame if something doesn't work.